Arietta Potter and The Will of the Veela
by StarLover'sLife
Summary: Arietta "Harry" Potter was never an ordinary girl. Far from it actually. First, she's a witch. Second, she just defeated Voldemort at the age of 15. Third, she lives with an insane ex-convict and a werewolf. Fourth, she's the mate of the Veela Draco Malfoy, her schoolyard enemy. Coincidence? I think not!
1. Chapter 1

Hey guys! So I was reading this story over, and I realize that it kinda sucked. Looking at the path I was going down, I would've had to deal with a lot of things that I didn't want to. so, I decided to re-do a bit, just change things up enough to insure that any mistakes I made wouldn't come back to bit me in the ass.

Disclaimer: I probably never will own Harry Potter, no matter how upsetting that thought is.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOOX

It was the summer before sixth year, and things were finally looking up. Last year, in the Department of Mysteries, I defeated Voldemort, mainly because I thought that Sirius had died. It was only after Voldy was gone, had I learnt that Sirius hadn't actually fallen through the veil. Remus explained that after Sirius had been hit, he had fallen onto the edge of the veil, causing a rippling motion that made it look like he had died. For a while, Remus had thought he was dead as well. After I had gone chasing after Bellatrix though, did he realize that Sirius was fine. In a way though, it's a good thing I thought that Sirius had died. It had stopped Voldemort from being able possess me. And when he shot that killing curse at me, I was ready to kick ass. I'm not quite sure what happened, it was all a blur. I just remember seeing red, seeing Sirius 'die', hearing my parents dying words. When I came to, he was no more than an ugly baby thing, covered in ash. Then of course, the Ministry officials came in, and 'dealt' with everything. Sirius was declared innocent, and I was, once again, the nation's darling. After Sirius was freed, he gained automatic guardianship over me, and took me to the Dursley's to get my remaining things. Honestly, I only had a bit of makeup and jewelry to claim, but I think Sirius wanted to threatened them one last time. Once that was done with, Sirius took me to another Black property, Black Cottage. A nice house in the countryside, a place I know call home. Of course, Remus lived with us, and I loved it that way. We were finally a proper family, like we should have been from the start.

At the moment, the Weasley's and Fleur were over. So obviously, no peace or quiet. An example? This morning, the day the O.W.L's arrived.

There I was, minding my own buissness when Ron came barreling through the door.

"Harry, Harry, Harry! Wake up! The O.W.L's are coming today!" Ron yelled, while jumping on my bed.

"Yes Ronald, the O.W.L's are coming, which means that they will wait for me to drag my ass out of bed. There's no need to to wake me up at such an ungodly hour" I said, directing a glare in his general direction.

"Come on Harry! Its already 11:00" he whined.

"Exactly! Its practically the middle of the night!" I grumbled.

"Please? Please? Pretty please? Pretty please with a cherry on top?!" he said, gradually getting louder.

I huffed, resigned to the fsct that he wasn't going to leave me alone.

"Fine, but get out. I have to get ready" I groaned, heaving myself out of bed.

"YAY!" he cheered, before running out of my room.

"Gah!" I exclaimed, dragging myself to the bathroom. After taking a shower, brushing my teeth, getting dressed and fixing the rats nest I call hair, I was in a signicifantly better mood. With a sigh, I headed downstairs. Everyone was already awake, eve Sirius. Which was a surprise because Sirius was just like me, we didn't like to get up until around 1:30. He gave me a bleary smile and handed me a mug of my favorite thing in the world. Hazelnut coffee, my love and savior of 'early' mornings.

"Thanks Siri" I said, through a yawn.

I quickly fixed myself a plate of Mrs. Weasley's amazing food, and seated myself at the table.

"So, how does it feel? Knowing that in moments you will find out if you failed everything?" Ginny said, trying to worry us.

"We're not going to fail Ginny," I said, rolling my eyes.

"At Beauxbatons," said Fleur complacently, "we 'ad a different way of doing things. I think eet was better. We sat our examinations after six years of study, not five, and then…"

Fleur's words were drowned in a shout. Ron was pointing through the kitchen window. Two black specks were clearly visible in the sky, growing larger all the time.

"They're definitely owls," I said hoarsely, jumping up to join him at the window.

"And there are two of them," Ron said, hastening to my side.

"One for each of us," I said.

He gripped me tightly around the elbow.

The owls were flying directly at the Cottage, two handsome tawnies, each of which, it became clear as they flew lower over the path leading up to the house, was carrying a large square envelope.

Mrs. Weasley squeezed past them and opened the kitchen window. One, two, the owls soared through it and landed on the table in a neat line. Both of them lifted their right legs.

I moved forward. The letter addressed to me was tied to the leg of the owl on the left. I untied it with fumbling fingers. To my right, Ron was trying to detach his own results.

Nobody in the kitchen spoke. At last, I managed to detach the envelope. I slit it open quickly and unfolded the parchment inside.

Ordinary Wizarding Level Results

Pass Grades:

Outstanding (O)

Exceeds Expectations (E)

Acceptable (A)

Fail Grades:

Poor (P)

Dreadful (D)

Troll (T)

Ms. Arietta Rose Potter has achieved:

Astronomy: E

Care of Magical Creatures: O

Charms: O

Defense Against the Dark Arts: O

Divination: P

Herbology: E

History of Magic: A

Potions: E

Transfiguration: O

Ancient Runes: O

I read the parchment through several times, my breathing becoming easier with each reading. It was all right: I had always known that I would fail Divination, and I had had no chance of passing History of Magic, given that I had collapsed halfway through the examination, but I had passed History and everything else! I ran my finger down the grades, nine OWLs! And I did much better in Ancient Runes than I thought I would. I felt pretty proud of myself. I looked around.

"Only failed Divination and History of Magic, and who cares about them?" he said happily to me. "Here… swap…"

I glanced down Ron's grades: There were no "Outstanding's" there…

"Knew you'd be top at Defense Against the Dark Arts," said Ron, punching me on the shoulder. "We've done all right, haven't we?"

"You've done better than alright" Remus said with a grin, as he pulled me in for a hug.

"Well done!" said Mrs. Weasley proudly, ruffling Ron's hair. "Seven OWLs, that's more than Fred and George got together!"

"So you didn't fail everything Ronnie! I'm so proud" Ginny said, laughing.

"Well, we're N.E.W.T. students now!" grinned Ron. "Mum, are there any more sausages?"

I looked back down at my results. They were as good as I could have hoped for. I felt just one tiny twinge of regret… This was the end of my ambition to become a Healer. I had not secured the required Potions grade. I had known all along that I wouldn't, but I still felt a sinking in my stomach as I looked again at that small black E.

It was odd, really, seeing that I'd always hated being in the hospital wing, but somehow the idea had taken hold of me, and I couldn't really think of anything else I would like to be.

"Hey, don't frown so much. You don't need Snape's class to get into Healing! I'll hire you a tutor, how about that?" Sirius asked me with a gentle smile.

"Thanks Sirius, you're to best" I tell him with a large smile, and wrap my arms around his waist.

Wannabe Healers, watch out. There's a new bitch in town, and she's gonna kick your ass.


	2. Chapter 2

I spent my days at the Cottage with the Weasleys, Sirius and Remus and my evenings eating triple helpings of everything Mrs. Weasley put in front of me. I swear if this lady keeps feeding me, I'm going to swell up like a pumpkin. It was basically a routine, until one morning when things started to change.

I yawned and got out of bed and made my way to the bathroom to shower and brush my teeth. I got out my toothbrush and toothpaste and was about to start brushing my teeth when I caught my reflection in the mirror. Terrified at the sight of the creature in front of me, a scream rippled from my throat and the high-pitched sound filled the room. I heard a large bang and the sound of feet pounding against the floor before the bathroom was filled with people. Everyone was crowding around me, too shocked to speak, before Fleur broke the silence.

"'Arry! It looks like you 'ave become ze mate of a Veela!" She said happily.

This seemed to snap Mrs. Weasley out of her shock.

"Nonsense! A Veela's mate? Impossible!" Mrs. Weasley said scowling at Fleur.

To my surprise, Fleur glared right back.

" She is! On ze birthday of a Veela mate, 'e or she come into an inheritance of sorts. Zey become more beautiful and more powerful so zat zey can keep up with ze Veela. Ze Veela will claim zeir mate and zey will, in a way, be married. Being ze mate of a Veela is an 'igh 'onor. Ze relationship between a Veela and 'is mate is one of ze strongest. A love so pure zat nothing could break it. By ze way, 'appy birthday 'Arry" she countered.

"Some birthday present" I grumbled.

"Do not be too disappointed 'Arry. As I said, it is an 'igh 'onor to be ze mate of a Veela. My father was one" Fleur said, smiling at me, " I zink zat I 'ave a book on Veela's with me. Let me go and check" She grinned and bounced off.

I was barley able to let out a sigh before Fleur bounded back into the room with a book.

She showed the book to me with a smile, " 'ere you go 'Arry! I will be outside with ze book when you are finished in ze bathroom." She gave me another toothy grin before disappearing again.

I took a look around the bathroom. Ron still had a shocked look on his face while Charlie looked like he was trying to refrain from laughing at me. Bill had a giant smile on his face, probably glad the now Mrs. Weasley couldn't criticize Veela's _or _Fleur for the time being without insulting more people. Sirius had his wand in his hand and a gaping mouth, while Remus looked very unsure of what to-do.

"Well guys, it's been fun but, get the hell outta here before I hex you" I told them with a sickly sweet smile that made them scramble over each other to get out of the bathroom, also making them forget that I couldn't use magic.

With a sigh, I ran my hand through my hair then started my usual morning ritual. I left the room half an hour later, freshly showered and everything. I had tossed on a black tank top and some grey track pants. I walked down the stairs and the moment my feet hit the floor I was attack by an overly excited Fleur.

"Bien! We can start reading!" she said, beaming as she thrust a book into my hands.

I walked over to the couch and sat down. "_The Ways Of The Veela" _I read. I quickly opened the book and started to read.

"_The Veela are magical beings of incredible beauty, mostly found in the Slavic countries. Their appearance can vary somewhat from individual to individual, but on the whole most Veela's have light blond hair and blue, grey or silver eyes. They use their beauty to attract other creatures, and release a hormone called the 'Veela Allure' that makes them nearly impossible to resist. To this day the only known remedy against the Veela Allure is the Selby potion, more commonly known as the 'Veela Resistance', invented by Professor C. A. Selby in 1877. While it is a well-known fact that Veela can attract almost anyone, few know that most Veela have a chosen mate. Their mate can be just about any creature, as long as they have certain human traits and a well-developed brain. There is one exception to this, and that is the half Veela. A Veela of, for example, human blood will only be able to have a human mate, while one that is half dwarf will only have a dwarf mate. This is because the side of them that is not a Veela often resists a mate of another blood, and resisting his or her mate over a longer period of time increases the Veela's chance of dying before the 'bonding ceremony' is complete._"

"What do you mean dying?" I asked, very interested.

"Ze Veela cannot live without zeir mate, and will die if ze mate refuses zem, or if zey are unable to perform ze bonding ceremony." Fleur answered.

"And um, what do you mean, by _bonding ceremony _exactly?" I was getting a worried at the moment.

" Continue! Ze answer is at ze end of ze page!" she said impatiently.

I quickly skimmed the page to find what I was looking for before I began to read again.

"_The bond between a Veela and its mate has four stages. The first is called the '_pursuit_' and is where the Veela seeks out his or her mate by scent, sight and feeling. The next stage is called the '_acceptance_', and that is when the mate accepts the bond to the Veela through a kiss. The third step is called the '_courting_', and within this stage the dominant in the relationship will feel compelled to court the submissive one. The last and final stage is often referred to as the '_bonding ceremony_'. It is not a ceremony per se, but merely the final bonding between the two mates. This happens through sexual intercourse, in which both parties will have to willingly participate._"

"Nuh uh! Harry will not be having sex until she's 25! Actually, she's going to be a nun. A virgin forever!" Sirius ranted aggressively.

"Sex?" I squeaked embarrassed.

Fleur looked quite amused at my shocked face.

"Yes "Arry, sex. Keep reading; zere is more." She told me.

"More?" I said in terror.

"Yes, more. Read!" she said, or more commanded.

I quickly turned my attention back to the book.

"_Inheritance:_ _Another little known fact about the Veela is that they do not necessarily come into their inheritance at their sixteenth birthday, like most other magical creatures. No, when the Veela gets their inheritance depends on their mate. If the mate is older than the Veela, he or she will get their powers when turning sixteen, but if the mate is _younger_ than the Veela, he or she will get their powers on their _mate's_ sixteenth birthday. This little safety precaution is to make sure that when the Veela gets their powers and feel compelled to seek out their mate, the mate will not be underage._"

"So that's why I changed today. Because I'm younger than the Veela." I said.

"Oui. Veela's are very respectable and zey would not take advantage over ze under aged," she told me.

"What do they mean by _dominant _and _submissive_?" I asked Fleur.

"If you would keep reading, you would find out!" she said, eyes flashing.

I snapped my attention back to the book. I flipped a few pages before finding the one I wanted.

_In a relationship were at least one of the parties is Veela, there is always one submissive and one dominant. Between full-blooded Veela, the male is always the dominant while the female is submissive. In the rare occurrence of same sex relationships, the dominant one will be decided by the magical strength of the two. The stronger one obviously dominating the weaker. In relationships where only one individual is of Veela blood, the Veela will always be dominant due to their unrivalled magical strength. The only known exception to this is if a weak female Veela mates with a very strong male Seraph."_

"Well that explains the dominant stuff, but why in the world would you think that I could possibly the mate of a Veela?" I asked, bewildered.

"Check page 10" she told me.

I flipped to page ten.

_What very few are aware of, is the fact that when a dominant half-Veela gets their inheritance, not only do they change appearance, but their mate does as well. This is in order to please the dominant Veela, and the submissive often ends up looking just as beautiful as the Veela themselves. If the submissive is a male, he will often acquire more female traits, such as a smaller body and softer features._"

So there it is, proof. Sort of. I, Arietta Rose Potter, was the mate of a Veela. A Veela; who needed me to survive. The Veela, made me look like this. Made my hair softer, shinier and no longer a mass of untamable trouble. Made my eyes look bigger and my lips pinker. Made me look curvier and taller. The looks, I could definitely live with, but the bonding? Being the submissive? That I wasn't too sure about.

"Harry, it'll be alright. There are much worse things you could be the mate of. Like, Acromantula. Or Vampires. Or-" started Bill.

"I think I get it Bill" I interrupted him.

"Harry, I forbid you from being a Veela's mate! You, you are not allowed!" Sirius said, using a lot of wild hand gestures to emphasize his anger.

"I don't really want to be one anyways Siri!" I exclaimed.

"Good!" he finalized, before storming off into the kitchen.

I watched his leave slightly amused, wasn't I suppose to be the kid?

"Well that's enough reading for now. You must eat breakfast Arietta." Said Mrs. Weasley before she pushed me in the direction of the table. After she stuffed three helpings of eggs, toast and bacon, she finally decided that I had enough. I put my plate in the sink and went back to sit on the couch. The rest of the day went normally. Well as normal as a day can be when it's your 16th birthday and you just found out that you were the mate of a Veela.

XOXOXOXXOXXO

The next day, our letters and booklists arrived from Hogwarts. Mine included a surprise: I had been made Quidditch Captain.

"Woooooo! My goddaughter's Quidditch Captain!" Sirius cheered, running around the living room screaming.

"Wow, I remember when Charlie wore one of these," said Ron, examining the badge with glee. "Harry, this is so cool, you're my Captain… if you let me back on the team, I suppose, ha ha…"

"Well, I don't suppose we can put off a trip to Diagon Alley much longer now you've got these," sighed Mrs. Weasley, looking down Ron's booklist. "We'll go on Saturday".

"Good job Harry! Your father would've bee proud" Remus said, giving me a soft smile

"Thanks Moony" I grinned.

When Saturday finally came, it was a beautiful day. We decided to floo to the Leaky Cauldron, instead of taking a portkey. Sirius knew I was still weary of them, so he made sure to keep them away from me. Once we got to Diagon Alley, we decided that the smartest thing to do was split up. Mrs. Weasley and Sirius went to Gringotts while; Ron, Ginny and I went into Madame Malkin's.

We entered the little shop together. It appeared, at first glance, to be empty, but no sooner had the door swung shut behind them than they heard a familiar voice issuing from behind a rack of dress robes in spangled green and blue.

"… Not a child, in case you haven't noticed, Mother. I am perfectly capable of doing my shopping alone."

There was a clucking noise and a voice I recognized as that of Madam Malkin, the owner, said, "Now, dear, your mother's quite right, none of us is supposed to go wandering around on our own anymore, it's nothing to do with being a child…"

"Watch where you're sticking that pin, will you!"

A teenage boy with a pale face and white-blond hair appeared from behind the rack, wearing a handsome set of dark green robes that glittered with pins around the hem and the edges of the sleeves. He strode to the mirror and examined himself; it was a few moments before he noticed Ron, Ginny and I reflected over his shoulder. His light gray eyes widened.

Malfoy looked like words had just died in his throat and I felt the same way. Malfoy had gotten taller, more muscular and his face was less pointed. His mouth, instead of being in its usual sneer was hanging open and his eyes seemed to pop out of his head. We just stared at each other before his mother appeared from behind the clothes rack.

XOXOXOXOXOXXOOXOXO

Draco's POV.

It's her. My mate is Arietta Potter. Wow. In a way, I'm glad. I had had a bit of a crush on her since second year. She looks so different. Her hair no longer messy, she wasn't as short and she had they prettiest lips in the world. I had to restrain my self from snogging her.

"Draco, what's-" mother stopped speaking immediately after seeing me.

"Is she-" mother started.

"Yeah" I said cutting in, not letting Arietta out of my sight.

I saw Arietta frown in confusing and cock her head to the side. Weasley put his hand on her shoulder and she turned to face him. I growled, how dare he touch what was mine? He dare draw her attention away from him? I was about to advance on him when I felt a hand on my own shoulder. I turned around to see my mother's face.

"Not yet Dragon. You must wait before you claim her. We do not want to scare her," she whispered.

I nodded, hating that she was right, but agreeing anyways. I looked back at Arietta again and saw her staring at me with a look of concern on her face.

She stepped forward, "Malfoy, can we talk?" she asked me.

My voice caught in my throat and I nodded quickly before gesturing to the clothing racks. She gave me a tiny smile before following me. Oh my Merlin, she smiled at me. Wait, snap out of it Draco. You are a Malfoy, calm, cool and collected. With a deep breath I turned around to look at her. I wonder what she wants to talk about.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Arietta POV

Whoa. Malfoy looks… Whoa! How can someone change so much during the time span of a month? Wait, I did, so it's not that surprising really. But still! Malfoy looks hot! Like, really hot! Wait a damn moment. Is Malfoy the Veela? It would certainly explain the change in the looks and the lack of insults. Should I ask him? Wonder how that conversation's going to go. 'Hey Malfoy, on my birthday I found out that I was a Veela's mate. Are you the Veela who will die without me?' Oops, my inner rant has gone on to long and now he's looking at me strangely, like if he's trying to find out if I have a mental problem.

"What did you want to talk about?" he asked me quietly, making me jump, as I wasn't expecting him to speak.

"Oh right! Well on my birthday I found out I was a Veela's mate. Are you the Veela who will die without me?"

Crap! I wasn't supposed to say that! I'm such an idiot! Now he looks scared. Probably thinking that I actually _do _have a mental issue.

"How did you find out?" he said after a while.

My jaw dropped. I wasn't exactly expecting to be right. Wow, 10 points to me!

"Um, uhh. Lucky guess?" I said when I was actually able to form words.

He snorted. This guy just keeps surprising me today. Who would of guessed that he could display human emotions and actions? Not me, that's for sure.

"That was a good guess. So, do you already know everything about this whole mate thing or should I tell you?" he asked.

"Spare me please. I already read the book and got the lecture and everything. What I do want to know is, why me? Why not one of your five million slutty stalker fan girls?" I demanded.

"So you _don't _know everything" I huffed, annoyed, "Well, Veela's can't choose their mate. They're chosen by how equal they are or how well they balance each other out, in power, looks and intelligence. From birth, whoever is your equal can be your mate. Or sometimes it could be whoever is most important to you, in any way." He told me.

I thought this over. It made sense. Malfoy and I had been rivals in everything. So we would have been each other's most important _something_. We also are about equal in classes, or balance each other out. Charms equal. Transfiguration, I'm slightly better than him. History, he's slightly better than me. Potions, he crushes me. Defense Against the Dark Arts, I crush him. We're both quite powerful and both the best looking in our year. At least that's what Fred told me. It wasn't that hard to believe that I could be his mate, it was just a bit hard to accept.

"Alright then. So, what now?" I asked him.

"Now you decide whether you're going to accept, or say no" he replied nervously.

This decision had already been made. Spend the rest of my life with my ex-school enemy, or let him die and have that on my conscience? Simple choice. I say yes. I'm not about to let someone die because they can't help but love me. Wow, that even sounded narcissistic in my head. Besides, Fleur said that Veela love is one of the strongest types of love in the world. I could finally have what I've always wanted. Someone to care and love me.

"Yeah" I said softly, running my fingers through my hair.

Malfoy looked shocked. Did he really think that I was going to say no?

"Well, umm. Now what?" he asked me.

A small smile crept onto my face at the repeat of my earlier sentence. For once in my life, I saw Malfoy acting… Normal. Normal and vulnerable. Human. I liked it.

"Well, now we put everything behind us, and start again" I smiled at him.

He grinned back at me. A real smile. Not a smirk or jeer. A smile, a beautiful, genuine smile,

"I like that. My name's Draco Malfoy" he said, sticking out his arm.

This time though, I accepted it.

"Harry Potter" I replied, with a grin of my own.

"Well Harry Potter, its lovely to meet you. I will see you at Hogwarts" he said with a smile.

"I look forward to it" I replied with a grin.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

The Veela explanations and quotes from _The Ways Of The Veela _are Triola's and do not belong to me. Check her out; the quotes came from The Challenge of being a Veela's Mate. s/2758337/1/The-Challenge-of-being-a-Veelas-Mate Read it!


	3. Chapter 3

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

After leaving Madame Malkin's, we went met up with Sirius and Mrs. Weasley. Neither Ron nor I bought anything from the Apothecary, as we were no longer taking Potions. When we had all of our supplies, we started our search for Fred and George's. We had no trouble finding their store due to the huge flashy poster that stuck out like a sore thumb in the alley.

WHY ARE YOU WORRYING ABOUT

YOU-KNOW-WHO?

YOU SHOULD BE WORRYING ABOUT

U-NO-POO —

THE CONSTIPATION SENSATION

THAT'S GRIPPING THE NATION!

"It's brilliant!" Ginny laughed.

And she and I led the way into the shop. It was packed with customers; I couldn't even get near the shelves. I stared around, looking up at the boxes piled to the ceiling: Here were the Skiving Snackboxes that the twins had perfected during their last, unfinished year at Hogwarts.

I could easily see that the Nosebleed Nougat was the most popular, with only one battered box left on the shelf. There were bins full of trick wands, the cheapest merely turning into rubber chickens or pairs of briefs when waved, the most expensive beating the unwary user around the head and neck, and boxes of quills, which came in Self-Inking, Spell-Checking, and Smart-Answer varieties. A space cleared in the crowd, and I pushed my way toward the counter, where a gaggle of delighted ten-year-olds was watching a tiny little wooden man slowly ascending the steps to a real set of gallows, both perched on a box that read: Reusable hangman - spell it or he'll swing!

"'Patented Daydream Charms…'"

Ginny had managed to squeeze through to a large display near the counter and was reading the information on the back of a box bearing a highly colored picture of a handsome youth and a swooning girl who were standing on the deck of a pirate ship.

"'One simple incantation and you will enter a top-quality, highly realistic, thirty-minute daydream, easy to fit into the average school lesson and virtually undetectable (side effects include vacant expression and minor drooling). Not for sale to under-sixteen's."

"That's amazing!" I nearly shouted to get Ginny to hear me.

"For that, Harry," said a voice behind them, "you can have a hug."

A beaming Fred stood before them, wearing a set of magenta robes that clashed magnificently with his flaming hair. He quickly squeezed me and spun me around, making me laugh.

"My own brother and he hugs you first!" Ginny grinned good-naturedly when Fred gave her a smaller, less enthusiastic hug.

I grinned at Fred before squeaking loudly as a pair of arms wrapped around my waist.

"So, what do you think?" a voice asked.

I turned around to face a smiling George. I laughed and gave him a hug.

"I love it! It's amazing! You guys are going to run Zonko's out of business" I hollered.

I was gifted with two identical grins and arms slung around my shoulders, steering me toward the back of the shop, where I saw a stand of card and rope tricks.

"Muggle magic tricks!" said Fred happily, pointing them out.

"For freaks like Dad, you know, who love Muggle stuff. It's not a big earner, but we do fairly steady business, they're great novelties"

"Lets go through the back, Harry, that's where we're making the real money… pocket anything, you, and you'll pay in more than Galleons!" he added warningly to a small boy who hastily whipped his hand out of the tub labeled EDIBLE DARK MARKS —THEY'LL MAKE ANYONE SICK!

George pushed back a curtain beside the Muggle tricks and Harry saw a darker, less crowded room. The packaging on the products lining these shelves was more subdued.

"We've just developed this more serious line," said Fred. "Funny how it happened…"

"You wouldn't believe how many people, even people who work at the Ministry, can't do a decent Shield Charm," said George. "'Course, they didn't have you teaching them, Harry."

"That's right… Well, we thought Shield Hats were a bit of a laugh; you know, challenge your mate to jinx you while wearing it and watch his face when the jinx just bounces off. But the Ministry bought five hundred for its entire support staff! And we're still getting massive orders!"

"So we've expanded into a range of Shield Cloaks, Shield Gloves…"

"… I mean, they wouldn't help much against the Unforgivable Curses, but for minor to moderate hexes or jinxes…" "And then we thought we'd get into the whole area of Defense Against the Dark Arts, because it's such a money spinner," continued George enthusiastically. "This is cool. Look, Instant Darkness Powder, we're importing it from Peru. Handy if you want to make a quick escape."

"And our Decoy Detonators are just walking off the shelves, look," said Fred, pointing at a number of weird-looking black horn-type objects that were indeed attempting to scurry out of sight. "You just drop one surreptitiously and it'll run off and make a nice loud noise out of sight, giving you a diversion if you need one.

"Those are brilliant," I said, quite impressed.

"Here," said George, catching a couple and throwing them to me.

A young witch with short blonde hair poked her head around the curtain; I saw that she too was wearing magenta staff robes.

"There's a customer out here looking for a joke cauldron, Mr. Weasley and Mr. Weasley," she said.

I found it very odd to hear Fred and George called "Mr. Weasley," and it not being because they were in trouble, but they took it in their stride. "Right you are, Verity, I'm coming," said George. "Harry, you help yourself to anything you want, all right? No charge."

"I can't do that!" I said astonished, getting ready to pull out my purse.

"You don't pay here," said Fred firmly, waving away the gold in my hand.

"But…"

"You gave us our start-up loan, we haven't forgotten," said George sternly "Take whatever you like, and just remember to tell people where you got it, if they ask."

George swept off through the curtain to help with the customers, and Fred held me back from following him.

"Erm, Harry, you look… different" he said uncertainly.

I laughed," Yeah, on my birthday, well, I found out that I was a Veela's mate."

Fred seemed shocked, which is not really surprising, considering what I just told him.

"Wow, that's amazing. Do you know who it is yet?" he asked me.

"Er yeah. Umm, it's uh, Draco Malfoy" I said hesitantly.

"MALFOY? Out of all the Veela out there, you had to get Malfoy?" he said, raising his voice slightly.

I looked around worriedly, concerned that someone would hear our conversation.

"Shhh! Keep your voice down idiot! I don't need the whole world knowing!" I hissed.

Fred smiled abashedly, than did something I really wasn't expecting. He laughed. He must have seen my confused face, because he started laughing harder.

"You, can never, do, anything, easy, can you?" he stuttered out.

I glared at him. I can't believe he was laughing at me!

"I'm sorry, it's just hilarious how ironic it is," he laughed.

I smacked his arm, trying to look annoyed, but secretly laughing myself.

"Don't worry little sister, I got your back. Make sure to tell Malfoy to watch _his_ back" he snickered before slinging his arm around my shoulders and steering me to Ginny.

We found her at an aisle, in front of a product called Patented Daydream Charms.

"Haven't you girls found our special WonderWitch products yet?" asked Fred. "Follow me, ladies…"

Near the window was an array of violently pink products around which a cluster of excited girls was giggling enthusiastically. Ginny and I both hung back, looking wary.

"There you go," said Fred proudly. "Best range of love potions you'll find anywhere."

Ginny raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Do they work?" she asked.

"Certainly they work, for up to twenty-four hours at a time depending on the weight of the boy in question…"

"… And the attractiveness of the girl," said George, reappearing suddenly at their side. "But we're not selling them to our sisters," he added, becoming suddenly stern, "Not when one of them has got a Veela after them."

After seeing my shocked gaze he grinned," Fred doesn't know when to lower his voice".

I rolled my eyes. Of course he heard Fred, who hadn't?

He then continued "Or when the other's already got about five boys on the go from what we've…"

"Whatever you've heard from Ron is a big fat lie," said Ginny calmly, leaning forward to take a small pink pot off the shelf. "What's this?" "Guaranteed ten-second pimple vanisher," said Fred. "Excellent on everything from boils to blackheads, but don't change the subject. Are you or are you not currently going out with a boy called Dean Thomas?"

"Yes, I am," said Ginny. "And last time I looked, he was definitely one boy, not five. What are those?"

She was pointing at a number of round balls of fluff in shades of pink and purple, all rolling around the bottom of a cage and emitting high-pitched squeaks.

"Pygmy Puffs," said George. "Miniature puffskeins, we can't breed them fast enough. So what about Michael Corner?"

"I dumped him, he was a bad loser," said Ginny "And a dick!" I piped in, watching her put a finger through the bars of the cage and watching the Pygmy Puffs crowd around it. "They're really cute!"

"They're fairly cuddly, yes," conceded Fred. "But you're moving through boyfriends a bit fast, aren't you?"

Ginny turned to look at him, her hands on her hips. There was such a Mrs. Weasley-ish glare on her face that Harry was surprised Fred didn't recoil.

"It's none of your business. And I'll thank you'' she added angrily to Ron, who had just appeared at George's elbow, laden with merchandise, "not to tell tales about me to these two!"

"That's three Galleons, nine Sickles, and a Knut," said Fred, examining the many boxes in Ron's arms. "Cough up." "I'm your brother!"

"And that's our stuff you're nicking. Three Galleons, nine Sickles. I'll knock off the Knut."

"But I haven't got three Galleons, nine Sickles!"

"You'd better put it back then, and mind you put it on the right shelves."

Ron dropped several boxes, swore, and made a rude hand gesture at Fred, which was unfortunately spotted by Mrs. Weasley, who had chosen that moment to appear. "If I see you do that again I'll jinx your fingers together," she said sharply. "Mum, can I have a Pygmy Puff?" said Ginny at once.

"A what?" said Mrs. Weasley warily.

"Look, they're so sweet…"

Mrs. Weasley moved aside to look at the Pygmy Puffs, and Harry and Ron momentarily had an unimpeded view out of the window. Draco Malfoy was hurrying up the street alone. As he passed Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, he glanced over his shoulder and our eyes connected. He stopped where he was and grinned at me. I waved back at him shyly, which made his grin grow. With a smirk, he approached the store, approached me. Then he disappeared, I bit my lip, slightly confused, before hearing a voice behind me.

"Guess who?" I could practically hear the smirk in his voice as I turned around.

"Hey, didn't I see you like, ten minutes ago?" I grinned at him.

"Well, I saw your pretty face in the window and couldn't resist" He smiled at me, which grew when he saw my face turn red.

A cough re-announced Ron's, Fred's, Ginny's, George's, Sirius' and Mrs. Weasley's presence.

"Guess you get to meet the family earlier than expected" I snickered at the slightly frightened look on his face.

"Malfoy" Ron said coldly.

"Weasley" he nodded in acknowledgement.

"So Malfoy, I heard that you were little Harry's Mr. Veela" Fred said, glaring at Draco.

"What?" Sirius exclaimed with wide eyes.

I watched them amused; they had done this to my last boyfriend as well. Intimidate him I mean. Poor Jason was never the same…

"Erhm, yes. Harry's my mate," he stated.

"Well than, welcome to the family" George said after a short pause and clapped him on his shoulder.

Draco's face was of pure confusion, which I'm sure was mirrored on mine.

Ginny laughed, seeing his face.

"They won't even bother with the whole 'Don't hurt her' speech, since we already know that a Veela can't hurt their mate. But… if on the off chance you do hurt her, well, you'll learn why they say that red-heads have no souls, and we can have proof of why they say that blonds are idiots" she grinned at him, causing him to blink a few times.

"Don't worry, I have no intentions of ever hurting her," he said, wrapping an arm around my waist and pulling me closer.

"You better not, because if you break her heart, I will set a raging werewolf on you during the full moon" Sirius said with a pleasant smile.

Draco blinked, all of a sudden looking a bit frightened.

"Malfoy, I don't like you, and I won't pretend like I do. But, Harry seems to like you a lot already so, welcome to the family" Ron told him.

Tears sprung into my eyes. Ron, whose opinion always mattered most to me, was willing to put aside a grudge, for my happiness.

"Ronnie" I said softly, before walking into his arms and hugging him.

"Thank you" I whispered.

"You're my little Arie, my sister, best friend, my right arm. I love you," he mumbled.

"Love you," I repeated, before letting go.

"Well," I said, "Now there's just Mr. Weasley, Bill, Charlie, Fleur, Tonks and Remus left." I said cheerfully, watching his face grow horrified.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX 

When we got home, Sirius held me aside.

"Look Harry, I don't like that kid, and I probably never will. But if you think this is a good idea, than I'm fully behind you" he said seriously.

"You're the best Siri!" I smiled, hugging him tightly.

"On a totally unrelated topic, the Ministry wants you to give testimonies for the Death Eater trials. Of course, you have every right to say no, but consider it, okay?" he said, as we pulled apart.

"Yeah, of course I'll give it some thought. It's the best way to get the innocents out of the way," I told him, with a solemn smile.

"I'm so proud of you, you know that?" he told me.

"Thanks Padfoot" I said, tears filling my eyes for the second time today.

"Come on, let's get some of Molly' s amazing food before Ron eats it all" he says laughing.

I chuckled softly, before following him into the living room.


	4. Chapter 4

I spent a lot of the time before the holiday's end, mailing Draco. I mainly asked more questions about how being mates would affect our lives. Apparently, after we first bond we'll be married in the eyes of the law. I never thought I'd be married before I graduated.

I also learned new things about Draco himself. His favorite color is blue, he enjoys Muggle music and at times will be caught wearing Muggle clothing. It's strange to think that Draco Malfoy, Muggle hater extraordinaire, doesn't actually hate all things Muggle. His parents were thrilled that he found his mate, and according to him, couldn't wait to see me. In turn, I told him a few things about me. My favorite color, how the Weasley's were like a family to me, how Sirius had practically adopted me and how I thought that Moony and Tonks had a thing for each other. I also mentioned that I had an interest for dark magic. I would never use it, but to find out how it worked would help for future references and education on different Magic styles.

He seemed to enjoy our conversations, as he always wrote back very quickly. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I can't wait to see him again.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

One morning, I stumbled downstairs to see Mrs. Weasley glaring at a familiar eagle owl. Helios, Draco's owl, seemed to be sneering at Mrs. Weasley. Which is strange, since I've never known an owl to sneer. Of course, only Draco's owl would ever show me that its possible.

I approached Helios with a smile.

"Hey boy" I say softly, stroking his gray feathers.

"Harry, I don't approve of that boy sending you mail! Who knows what kind of hexes or curses could be on them!" Mrs. Weasley fussed.

I looked at her incredulously. She didn't even know Draco! Even though he's been a total arse these past years, he's not a bad guy. He can't be! How could a horrible person, write such sweet letters?

"Mrs. Weasley, I know you're suspicious of Draco, but he's not his father! Besides, he's a very nice person once you get to know him!" I told her, a frown on my face.

When Mrs. Weasley started to argue, Ron interrupted her.

"Lay off it mum. If Harry says he's okay, he must be. She has good judgment. Either way, it's her life and her mate. I can't see Harry mated to a terrible person." Ron said, seemingly uncaring that we were talking about the same person that used to tease us.

Mrs. Weasley sighed and sort of deflated.

"If that's what you want dear, than who am I to stand in the way of your happiness." She gave me a smile. "Here, this came for you" she said, handing me the note.

I took it from her graciously and nearly tore it open with eagerness.

_Dear Harry, _it said.

_I must say, every time we write you surprise me even more. You're like a little Slytherin. Of course, you're too kind and caring to be in Slytherin, but you are very cunning. The Malfoy library has many books on Dark Arts, seeing as we are a dark family. I'm very certain that the Potter library has quite a few as well. As I'm sure you may know, the Potters have always been a gray family, with many light and dark core members. I remembered you asked about how people excel at dark magic. The thing is, you can't just learn dark magic can have dark or light cores. That doesn't mean that they're good or evil, it simply means that certain magic will come easier. Like for instance, wandless magic. Wizards with dark cores have an easier time learning wandless magic, as it is a darker level of magic. Healing charms on the other hand will be easy to learn if you have a lighter core, as it's a light branch of magic. Gray families can excel in both branches of magic, as their core is neither light nor dark. I would love to explain more, but I'm afraid it may have to wait until school starts. Mother decided that for the last two weeks we're going to France to see some relatives. She says I need to concentrate on family I've never met before, and converse with my mate later. I'll have you know, I'd much rather spend my time in my room writing to you but, c'est la vie. I will see you soon. Maybe you could even ride to Hogwarts with me! I'll find you at the station, I promise._

_Avec d'amour,_

_Draco_

_Ps. I left you a present in the envelope, I hope you like it._

I smiled as I read the letter. No matter what he wrote, it always brought a grin to my face. My face took on a light red hue as I read, _avec d'amour,_ or with love.

Ron's face interrupted my thoughts, as he tried to read the letter.

"What's got you blushing like a thirteen year old with a crush?" he asked amused.

My face grew hotter, and I hit himwith the envelope, making the gift spill out. I scrambled to get it before it hit the ground. When I saw it properly, I gasped. It was a gorgeous emerald pendant, on a white gold chain. I flipped the pendant over and sighed happily. On the back it said, "_For the most beautiful emerald eyed girl"._

"What's that Harry dear?" Mrs. Weasley asked me, curious.

I held it up for her to see. When she caught sight of the necklace her jaw almost dropped.

"Oh Harry!" she whispered, "its beautiful!"

She hurried over to help me put it on. After it was on, she cooed.

"That boy is going to spoil you rotten." She said with a smile.

I blushed softly. "I have to go write to him, tell him how much I love it," I told her, and she nodded quickly.

"Of course, when you're done come back down, breakfast is almost ready" she said with a fond smile, and ushered me upstairs.

I entered my room and sat down at the desk, before starting the letter.

_Dear the sweetest person ever,_

_Oh Draco! I absolutely adore the necklace. But you shouldn't spend so much money on me; your correspondence makes me happy enough. And thank you for the information. I didn't know half of what you told me. I was aware that people have different cores, but I didn't know that it changes so much! I will miss your letters while you are away, but I guess I can't keep you all to myself, can I? I can't wait for the first, and of course I will ride with you. The problem may be getting Ron to either leave or be civil while he stays. Don't forget though, I'll have to find you first so that we know which compartment to go to, seeing as you're a prefect. Just don't spend the entire ride with those other prefects; I need attention too! Ha-ha, I'm only kidding. I hope you have fun in France, and say hello to your mother for me_

_Always,_

_Harry._

I finished the note quickly, and then whistled for Hedwig.

"Hey girl! I need you to get this to Draco before he leaves okay?" I say, as I wrap it around her leg.

She gave my cheek a soft nip before flying out the window.


	5. Chapter 5

It seemed like I had just fallen asleep, when Ginny was shaking me awake.

"Wasgoinon?" I grumbled, wiping the sleep out of my eyes.

Ginny grinned at me, while I unsuccessfully, tried to keep myself awake.

"Its September 1st! We have to go to Kings Cross today to get to school!" she chirped, and stared at me until I showed some level of comprehension.

"Oh yeah…" I sighed, before rolling off of the soft mattress, and onto the floor. I hit the ground with a soft, "Oomph" and lay there for a few seconds. Ginny watched me with an amused look on her face.

"You know, the sooner you get ready, the sooner you'll get to see Draco," she sang, as she left the room.

I jumped up quickly, as if I had just downed an entire glass of double-shot espresso. I scurried around the room, trying to get ready as fast as I could. I'll admit I was _very _excited to see Draco again. Over these past few weeks, I've been keeping an eye out for Draco's letter, informing me that he was back in England. I have to say; I've really missed reading his letters. Every time I read one of the notes, a giddy feeling wells up in the pit of my stomach, as if birds were fluttering around inside of me. Ginny calls them butterflies, but I prefer the term dragons. I've only ever felt this way about Draco, so the name is appropriate. Honestly, I have felt this way before, but it was still Draco! In third year, I had the biggest crush on him. At least, until Buckbeak's trail that is. When Granger had slapped him, it sort of felt like she had slapped some sense into me as well. That feeling though, decided that it would return, but I can't say that I'm too upset with that fact.

After I finished getting ready, I grabbed my trunk, and heading down the stairs. As I was lugging the giant thing that probably weighed more than I did, a hand covered mine and gently took the trunk away from me. I looked up to see that Ron had grabbed it, and was now taking it down the stairs.

"Don't worry tiny, I got this one," he said, smirking at me.

I huffed and rolled my eyes. Even though I had grown a bit, I was still nothing compared to Ron, who seemed to tower over me. Ron and I entered the kitchen, where Mrs. Weasley was bustling around, finishing breakfast.

"Oh Harry dear, you're awake. Go sit down and have something to eat; we have to leave soon. Hurry, before Sirius comes down and eats everything." She said with a smile, and ushered me to the table.

I laughed softly, before inhaling the delicious food in front of me. Mrs. Weasley was the only one who could make me look like I haven't eaten anything in five years. I moaned in delight, as the amazing taste slid down my throat.

"Careful there HareBear, you don't wanna choke" Sirius snickered, when he entered the kitchen.

I glared at him, and when Mrs. Weasley's back was turned, I stuck my tongue out at him. Sirius grinned, than sat beside me, and started to eat himself.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

After an excruciating drive, with a lot of U-turns to receive forgotten items, we finally made it to Kings Cross, with twenty minutes to spare.

"Hurry up children. Better get through that barrier quickly." Mrs. Weasley fussed before ushering to me, to go first.

I decided to take a more, nonchalant approach. I calmly walked to the barrier, and slinked through without anyone noticing. A few minutes later, everyone had joined me on the other side.

"Go on now, and have a good year. Behave and listen to your professors, and don't get into any mischief. Make sure to keep safe and-" I cut Mrs. Weasley off with a hug.

"Don't worry about us Mrs. Weasley. We'll be fine, we're big kids. We can tie our shoes and everything." I reassured her.

She smiled at me, before kissing my cheeks and saying goodbye to everyone else. Sirius pulled me in for a giant hug and held on for a few minutes.

"I don't want you to go" Sirius whined.

I chuckled softly, but I was also thinking the same thing. I would miss Sirius, he was the only father I've had for years. At the same time though, I really wanted to see all my friends… Who am I kidding? I wanted to see Draco! I pulled away from Sirius, and gave him a soft smile

I also gave Mr. Weasley a hug as well, before making me way onto the train. Ron had grabbed my trunk for me again, and he lugged it onto the train before saying goodbye to everyone himself.

"Make sure you cause lots of trouble" Sirius said seriously, as he enveloped me in a tight hug.

I chuckled, "Of course, what else would I do, learn?"

He grinned at me, than gave me a kiss on my forehead and left. I grabbed my trunk and started to walk around the train, hoping to find Draco before he had to go to the Prefects' carriage. As I was turning the corner, I bumped into a very hard chest. I backed up, so that I could see whom I had crashed into clearly. I blinked a few times, as if to make sure my eyes were working. I had crashed into Neville, and he looked… different. He looked down at me, (imagine that, Neville Longbottom, had to look _down _to see me), and smiled.

"Hey Harry! How was your summer?" he asked me with a smile.

I grinned at him, "It was great! I see the summer treated you well," I teased, as I poke his stomach.

Neville chuckled, as he pulled me into a hug.

"Summer has also seemed to help you as well. You've gotten taller! Not by much, though." He said mockingly.

I stuck my tongue out at him, and was about to reply with something equally as snarky, when I heard someone clear their throat. I pulled away from Neville to see…

"Draco!" I yelled, as I ran towards him.

He caught me in his arms and swung me around, before placing me back on the ground and hugging me to his side.

"How're you love? I've been looking for you," he mumbled in my ear with a smile.

"I've been great! I've missed you soooo much! Mrs. Weasley says hi, Sirius says keep your hands to your self and Ron says he doesn't want to sit with us while we're being all lovey, as he likes to say. I'm not exactly sure what he means by that though. Its not like we act super weird and do random things and profess our undying love for each other, but he says its gross when we were together last time. I guess Ronnie's just being stupid but I'm not sure I-" I rambled, while clinging on to Draco's arm as if my life depended on it.

"Whoa there Shortcake, I missed you too! By the way, that was an impressive speech. Don't you need to breathe though? How'd you do it?" he asked jokingly, as I blushed.

"Umm, Harry? Why are you talking to Malfoy, while hugging him?" Neville asked me confused, and slightly annoyed.

"Because Longbottom, Arietta is my mate, and I would like to think that she likes talking and hugging me," Draco said sneeringly.

I hit Draco's arm softly, "Be nice," I warned him.

He sighed, than grabbed my hand and kissing the back of it, mumbling an apology as he went. I blushed slightly, before turning back to Neville, who looked plenty confused.

"What he said, only nicer" I told him with a smile.

Draco chuckled beside me, before catching notice of the necklace.

"You're wearing it," he said, grinning at me.

I smiled at him shyly, "I haven't taken it off," I admitted.

His smile grew bigger as he tightened his hold on me.

"Err Malfoy? I don't mean to interrupt, but don't you have to go to that Prefect's meeting?" Neville asked him.

Draco swore under his breath, and placed a kiss on my cheek.

"I'll be back soon love, you stay in this compartment until I get back, so I know where to find you" he said softly, as he led me into the empty compartment beside us.

"Alright… I'll um, see you later than?" I trailed off shyly, not wanting to come off as pushy.

Ha smirked at me, before kissing my nose and looked into my eyes.

"Of course you will love. I'll see you soon" he told me with a smile, then walked off.

XOXOXOXOXOXO


End file.
